Somalia Archives • Love Does

Basketball at our Girls Leadership Academy in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 23:25:21 +0000

In 2012, Mogadishu was gripped by violence and insecurity. Back then, the idea of girls playing basketball was unthinkable. Yet, we believed in the transformative power of education and adding sports creates an outlet for survivors of violence to express themselves and build teamwork and leadership skills.

Starting a girls basketball team was not easy, however in 2016, Love Does raised enough money to build our first basketball court at the Girls Leadership Academy within the compound of Elman Peace. Basketball became more than just a program; it became another tool in our curriculum, fostering mental well-being, leadership skills, and a sense of community. Today, our court has been renovated, and the all-girls team has flourished. Eight of our students from the leadership academy now play for the national women’s team. These girls are defying odds and reclaiming their space, both on and off the court.

The basketball court in Mogadishu remains the only safe space for girls to play. It is a symbol of opportunity and inspiration, a testament to what can be achieved when hope and unwavering support converge. Love Does loves helping to make the impossible, possible.

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-The Love Does Team

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Stories from the Somalia Safe House

Love Does — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:42:03 +0000

“If it were not for these safe houses, we couldn’t even think about a future”. – Somalia safe house resident

The Love Does safe house in Somalia, in partnership with Elman Peace, is a safe space for women and girls who are victims of gender based violence.

Whether it is a case of forced child marriage, trafficking, or abuse, we provide a refuge of safety, medical attention, counseling, and therapy. In addition, we work with partners to provide job training skills to help rebuild their lives.

Learn more about their stories and why your support matters:

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We are so grateful the Love Does community!

-The Love Does Team

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Food Insecurity in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 08:00:04 +0000

We know so many of you or your kids just started the school year. The first few weeks of school are always filled with anticipation, fun, and a healthy dose of those first day jitters. But we also know for a large number of students around the world, including many students in the US, school can come with added challenges, especially around the topic of lunch. Alongside our food program in San Diego that provides groceries to families facing food insecurity, we also partner with Lifeline to send boxed meals all over the world.

Just over the past year alone, we’ve been able to send over 500,000 meals to Somalia. These meals serve not only the students in our schools, but also some of the most vulnerable populations in highly remote places in the region.

Every dollar matters as we continue to support communities facing food insecurity both internationally and domestically. We’re so grateful for your generosity!

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Keep loving people well.

-The Love Does Team

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The Building of a Primary School in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 17:10:29 +0000

Kids in Somalia, especially girls, have limited access to education, because it’s all privately funded and there is no public education. If families can afford to send their kids to school, they usually prioritize their kids above the age of 12. As a result, so many primary aged students miss out on early education which is so important to their futures.

But with some recent hopeful developments in the country, we were able to build a Primary School in Mogadishu, Somalia alongside Elman Peace and the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

Hear from our Country Director, Ilwad Elman, about the progress of our newest school:

We can’t wait to officially open our doors to over 100 incredible students in the next few months.

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Thanks for making a difference in the lives of kids all around the world!
-The Love Does Team

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Packing 48,000 meals for Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 25 May 2023 18:52:04 +0000

Since starting a local food program in San Diego almost two years ago, the team at Love Does has connected with so many incredible organizations, businesses, and families in the area.

And yesterday, we all came together to pack over 48,000 meals for the communities we work with in Somalia. Each meal contains rice, beans, dried vegetables and vitamins for added nutrients.

Somalia is severely affected by famine. According to the World Food Programme, 6.5 million people are facing acute food insecurity between April and June 2023.

While these meals might feel like a small number in comparison, we know they will have a significant impact.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help! And a special thanks to Lifeline and City View Church for hosting.

Thanks for being part of the Love Does community. We couldn’t do it without you!

-The Love Does Team

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Hope for Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:30:57 +0000

Recently, there was a bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia that left several dozen dead and hundreds more injured. Unfortunately, one of our partner team members at Elman Peace was injured in the attack but thankfully was able to be airlifted to receive critical care.

This news was understandably difficult for the team as they work tirelessly and fight daily for peace throughout the region.

But despite this horrific event, the team feels that peace in the country is closer than ever. And while bombings and other related threats often make the headlines, there is also tremendous work being done by a lot of brave people to change the societal culture of the country. And our partners at Elman Peace are leading the way.

We know firsthand that education is one of the most effective, long term ways to build peace. If the kids at our schools know peace, love and hope, we believe they will give peace, love and hope to those around them. By investing in long term goals for these children, together we can create lasting change in areas plagued by conflict.

That’s why we’re opening up a second Girl’s Leadership Academy in Somalia. Our hope is that this academy will help develop confident young women and give them opportunities to learn, grow and be empowered to lead their communities for decades to come.

“While there are setbacks, the resilience and hope of the people are prevailing.” – Ilwad Elman, Director of Programs and Development at Elman Peace

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We’re grateful for your generosity!

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Education in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:00:24 +0000

We’re excited to share with you a video outlining our work with Elman Peace that our team put together for International Children’s Day. We currently have a Girls Leadership Academy, Baby Home, Safe Houses and are in the construction phase for a new middle school, primary school and a second Girls Leadership Academy. We’re thankful to be a part of changing lives in that region and we couldn’t do it without the support of the Love Does community.

Thank you for joining us as we cheer on the next generation of leaders in Somalia.

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Why We Started a Baby Home in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 21:01:20 +0000

Some women who become pregnant in Somalia are unable to care for their babies. Not because they don’t want to, but because they often fear for their lives. Unwanted pregnancies, for various reasons, are extremely frowned upon in their culture. They risk violence from male relatives, or even being disowned from their families. Unfortunately, some mothers feel as though they have no choice but to leave their babies in the streets or at local hospitals.

With our partners at Elman Peace, we started the Love Does Baby Home to take care of these abandoned babies until we can find a more permanent solution. Case workers find the babies, nurse them back to health, and simply love them in a safe environment.

Most of the babies we first took into our care have now reached the age where they can go to school, so we are looking forward to enrolling them to begin their education. There are currently 16 babies in the home and we anticipate that number only continuing to grow.

“So that’s what you guys do. You take love, not as a concept, but a direction. And it always moves us towards people and those that are hurting the most.” – Bob Goff

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Supporting Underprivileged Girls in Somalia

Love Does — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 01:28:21 +0000

It’s hard to imagine, but according to UNICEF, there are more than 3 million children out of school in Somalia. A large majority of those children are girls.

There are a few factors, of course. Parents are discouraged from enrolling their children due to poverty, safety concerns, social norms favoring male education, a shortage of (particularly female) teachers, and a lack of sanitation facilities on school grounds. The infrastructure just isn’t there to support everyone.

That’s why we feel compelled to step in.

To give more Somali girls access to education, in partnership with Elman Peace, we are currently developing the Love Does Leadership Academy in Somalia. The girls will go through a program that will provide vital life skills and leadership training. Students will be carefully selected in order to prioritize the most underprivileged girls in the area; survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and orphans are among the applicants.

Scheduled to open in 2022, we are hopeful this school will inspire and empower the next generation of female leaders in Somalia.

To learn more about our other work in Somalia, click here.

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Somalia Girls Leadership Academy Update

Love Does — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 09:24:27 +0000

The construction of our new Girls Leadership Academy in Mogadishu is going well, and we are so excited to share an update with you! It is on track to be finished by the end of summer, and as soon as it is safe, we will open our doors to our first class of students!

With the help of incredible friends and partners, we are trying a new model with a goal to make this school self sustainable within two years. In addition to a special focus in leadership and peace building, we will have pilot programs in entrepreneurship. Our students will run small business to not only serve needs in the community and empower these young women, but also to bring in funding for the school operations. We will continue to grow this model until our school is financially self-sustainable, and has the capability to serve for generations to come!

Our vision in building this school is to provide an opportunity for every girl who has been part of our safe house or experienced gender based violence to get an incredible education focused on leadership, empowerment and peace building. In addition, we will have capacity to also enroll girls who have been displaced by conflict or cannot financially afford to attend school. Our goal is to reach a cross section of our friends in Somalia who have experienced setbacks but are determined to change their lives and build peace in Somalia.

We cannot wait to cheer these girls on in all they do!

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